


acta non verba

by sordes



Series: astra inclinant, sed non obligant [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cultural Differences, Established Relationship, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mentions of Slavery, Semi-Public Sex, appendages swinging with purpose, public bathing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 18:05:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14939219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sordes/pseuds/sordes
Summary: Ardyn pushed back against Gilgamesh’s hairy chest, but the behemoth didn’t budge. “You’re crushing me—off, get off.” Even Ardyn couldn’t fight the smile threatening the corner of his lips.“Not until you accept my apology.” Gilgamesh ducked in and stole a peck of a kiss, then two more. “Even if I have to seduce you.”The one where Gilgamesh tries to make amends.





	acta non verba

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AccursedSpatula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccursedSpatula/gifts).



> 'Acta non verba' = 'deeds, not words'
> 
> Borrowing AccursedSpatula's lads for some more Roman inspired shenanigans.

The over-complicated ritual—the song and dance—that seemed to accompany nearly every facet of Lucian life, from the most mundane of tasks to the most rare and auspicious, never ceased to astonish Gilgamesh. One would think after nearly ten years of living amongst them, of being subjected to ten-mensa dinner parties and elaborate ceremonies just to read an ox’s entrails, Gilgamesh would have adapted, or at least lost the gut reaction to roll his eyes at every needlessly over the top display. But some things never failed to earn that reaction from him, much to his better half’s amusement and chagrin. 

Bathing was never something important enough to warrant such fanfare back home. You get a bit whiffy, trip and fall into something foul? Find the closest stream and wash off the grime. It was straightforward and simple, got the job done and got you back on your horse, off doing more important things. But here? The Lucians devoted entire days to the act and though Gilgamesh had to admit there was _some_ appeal to it, in comparison to an icy cold stream, it wasn’t enough to stop his knees from bouncing, antsy and bored, unable to just indulge and relax as Ardyn urged him to. It just didn’t feel right, being so idle and for so long, even if it involved being nude and wet with Ardyn at his side (though really, the fact that they were also surrounded by other very nude and very wet men, _not all so young and easy on the eyes_ , put a damper on things).

Being as wealthy as Ardyn’s family was, they naturally had several baths on the estate. And although it was ridiculous enough that they could boast of having _several_ baths period, the setup at the Izunia household couldn’t hold a candle to the grand balnae—public baths—located here and there in the city. Gilgamesh gaped in awe the first time Ardyn brought him to one, astounded at the sheer amount of ingenuity and time put into something as trivial as bathing. It had taken an entire day to work their way through all the different chambers—from the tepidarium with its heated floors to the caldarium and its steamy baths and laconicum to further wring sweat from their bodies, followed by the frigidarium to quickly cool off in a pool of icy water, then, finally, back to the tepidarium to rewarm the body. In between all of that business, there was much talking and drinking and eating, and he had lost Ardyn to a shelf of books for nearly an hour, too. They had entered before midday and not exited until the sun had dropped beneath the horizon. Ardyn was positively glowing, reinvigorated by such care and attention, but Gilgamesh recalled his mood being black as the night sky soon became, the extravagance simply too much to stomach.

Luckily, Ardyn seemed to take the hint and limited his offers of invitation to accompany him. There were some things—beer and garum aside—that were simply beyond compromise between their cultures. And besides, there were always the private facilities conveniently located within the Izunia estate. Gilgamesh was more than willing to put up with a bit of faffing about in one of those tubs, what with the guarantee of privacy and all.

They had lived with this unspoken agreement between them for some time, Gilgamesh only needing to provide the occasional polite declination and Ardyn only needing to act put out once in a while. But push eventually came to shove, and both parties met their breaking points. What with Somnus’ bid for the Senate going strong, there had been no shortage of dinner parties and appearances, Ardyn forced to play the role of smiling, supportive brother and assist with the political wrangling for a few stressful months in a row. Ardyn sported a near perpetual crease on his brow, his shoulders permanently drawn up and back hunched—Gilgamesh couldn’t even recall the last time they’d lain together, the whole business had put such a dark cloud over things.

Ardyn had asked him to go to the balnae together, to just take a day and forget the hellish job assisting with Somnus’ campaign was, but Gilgamesh turned him down. In his defense, he wasn’t considering the implications behind Ardyn’s request, rather that gut reaction kicked in before Gilgamesh could think. Instead of throwing a fit, or breaking words with the literal addition of a wine glass, Ardyn looked on at him coolly—something that frightened Gilgamesh more than he knew how to put words to.

Though he set off for the balnae alone a short time after, the specter of Ardyn hung over Gilgamesh that entire morning. He liked to think of himself as being egalitarian in most things, understanding and supportive. It wasn’t as if Ardyn had asked him to walk over a bed of hot coals with him, or submit himself to some other form of torture. He could laze the day away by Ardyn’s side if it helped things; it was really the bare minimum he could do.

By the time Gilgamesh set off for the balnae himself, it had started to pour. Gilgamesh resembled more a drowned rat than a magnificent swordsman when he arrived at the balnae’s atrium, feet and calves caked with mud from the street, his entire body sodden and clothes dripping. He couldn’t help but think the Hydrian herself was punishing him for his momentary selfishness.

Gilgamesh waved off the hawkers loitering in the atrium who offered him oils and all manner of accoutrement for use in the baths and strode with purpose inside. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he was intent on finding Ardyn quickly and apologizing, then with any hope, carting him back to the estate and showing him in private just how repentant he was. Like a fat fly hovering over a fresh pile of dung on a hot day, however, the balnae attendant could not be shooed away so easily like the hawkers and Gilgamesh was forced to disrobe angrily, shoving his clothing one piece at a time into the arms of the awaiting capsarii, much to the shock and horror of the still-clothed bathers, making their way to the apodyterium to get undressed in private.

“There’s enough to cover my entry in my satchel. Help yourself,” he grunted, pushing it into the slave’s arms. The capsarii were known to skim the pockets of the bathers—another reason why he hated the balnae.

Stripped nude, Gilgamesh pushed past the capsarii and attendant, his mood noticeably worsened by the obstruction.

“Sir, your oils...? Strigil...?” the attendant called after him.

Gilgamesh waved a hand in dismissal, not bothering to look back. “Didn’t come here to bathe.”

Stark naked Gilgamesh strode through the apodyterium, past the fellow bathers handing over their clothes and valuables to the awaiting capsarii. The room was spacious and would have been filled with light, were it not raining, and had many high doorways leading to the other areas of the baths. The bathers, though few in number, were moving leisurely to and fro, their voices and the sounds of the water and steam echoing through the space.

Gilgamesh first checked the frigidarium, fraught with the yelps of bathers at the iciness and their frantic splashes to swim through the pool as quickly as possible. There were fewer in the chamber than normal at this time of day, something Gilgamesh chalked up to the poor weather, but it made things easy enough to quickly discern Ardyn was not amongst the chilled.

Moving back through the apodyterium Gilgamesh next entered the tepidarium, a long, high-ceilinged chamber filled with a dry heat. Bathers in all manner of undress lounged and talked on wide stone benches, some nursing glasses of wine or picking fruits and candied nuts from platters. Though the dry heat was a welcome presence on Gilgamesh’s nakedness, he couldn’t help but shake his head at the idleness of it all. The lot seemed to be going through the motions even more slowly now, lingering despite being clean and sweet smelling once more. Gilgamesh moved swiftly past them, eyes scanning each face for Ardyn, his dick swinging with a purpose between his legs, completely immune to the scandalized looks some gave him at his nudity.  

It took a quick surveyal to realize Ardyn’s auburn hair was not amongst those enjoying the warmth of the room and Gilgamesh shook his head in disappointment. He didn’t think Ardyn would have changed course and gone somewhere else to idle the day by—he couldn’t think of any other place Ardyn would go. There was the odd chance they had missed each other, Ardyn opting to cut his day of relaxation short due to the weather, and Gilgamesh hoped that indeed was the case as he entered the caldarium and was hit by a blast of sticky heat.

Two older men poured buckets of cold water from the labrum over their heads as Gilgamesh entered, feet slapping on the damp mosaic, a (somewhat futile) effort to cool the body down after a soak in one of the hot baths. The chamber was longer than the frigidarium, and unlike the former had several steaming pools for bathers to enjoy—after oiling and removing any dirt and grit from their bodies with a strigil, of course. Aside from the two men, who left as Gilgamesh made it past the first pool, the chamber was deserted; most everyone seemed to prefer waiting out the storm in the far more comfortable climate of the tepidarium.

Still, there was one more chamber to check before hastily departing and returning back home, and Gilgamesh moved towards it with a brutal sense of purpose. The laconicum was a small chamber built off the side of the caldarium, and though it contained no pools of water, it was far hotter than the larger chamber ever got. Ardyn loved that little room—loved to just sit on one of the stone benches and sweat and sweat until Gilgamesh had to excuse himself, the heat too intense to bear a second longer. He would always laugh, like it was some competition, and only then would Ardyn extricate himself from the sweaty hellhole and join Gilgamesh by the labrum, doling buckets of cold water over his head.

Sure enough, that’s where Gilgamesh found him.

Ardyn perked instantly at the sight of Gilgamesh appearing in the doorway, blinking through the clouds of steam as if trying to confirm that Gilgamesh was not some heat-induced mirage. He had a towel wrapped around his waist to protect his decency—as was the norm—and there was an earthenware cup next to him on the bench, no doubt containing wine. Ardyn’s face was flushed from a combination of the heat and drink and his forehead and chest gleamed with sweat. Gilgamesh didn’t doubt he had been there for some time.

The round chamber was silent, save for the occasional hiss of steam from the caldarium, neither moving nor saying a word. For all his plans, Gilgamesh found himself unable to voice his apology so readily, so finally he just nodded and stepped into the full heat of the chamber, and sat down on the other end of the bench next to Ardyn.

Ardyn watched Gilgamesh take his seat and picked up his cup, eyeing him over the rim as he took a sip. “Change of heart?”

“You could say that.”

Ardyn looked unimpressed. He took a deeper pull from his cup, eyes narrowed.

“Thought the heat might do me some good, I suppose,” Gilgamesh added quickly. He slumped over his knees, a few droplets of sweat already dripping down onto the heated tile beneath them, and shook his head lightly. Why did his purpose evade him now of all times? He wanted to blame the heat for clouding his mind and making the words of apology obtuse on his tongue, but knew he was just making excuses. Gilgamesh sighed deeply.

“This is about you, not the baths or my opinion on them. I was selfish and unkind earlier, and for that I am deeply sorry.” Ardyn said nothing, so Gilgamesh stole a look at him from the corner of his eye. He was holding his cup close to his lips, expression obscured by the rim of the cup and his loose tresses of hair. “I regret turning down your invitation. Really.”

Ardyn remained silent, a tactic he often employed when the two rarely fought, and even here in the stifling heat of the laconicum, his iciness pierced Gilgamesh’s chest like a dagger. Gilgamesh had at least made the wise decision to come and apologize, but clearly this was not going to be easy. He cleared his throat to try again.

“I’m yours now, for the rest of the day. For as long as you’d like.” Gilgamesh wiped his forehead with the back of his arm as he straightened his back, his skin damp with perspiration. He eyed Ardyn nervously, rubbing his lips together. His mouth was dry, too dry, and his gaze fell to the cup in Ardyn’s hand. “I can wash your back, if you’d like…?”

Gilgamesh huffed and slid a few inches closer to Ardyn. “You can’t give me the silent treatment forever. Not here, at least. I know there’s more mercy in you than that.” He tried giving his best sad puppy dog eyes but Ardyn was still as stone, face shrouded by the haze and his hair. A bead of sweat trickled down between Gilgamesh’s eyebrows, the ticklish sensation doing little to calm his own fraying nerves.

“Ardyn.” Gilgamesh scooted himself closer. “Talk to me.”

The earthenware cup dropped from Ardyn’s hand not a beat later, shattering against the mosaic floor, though hardly any wine splashed about, the cup having been mostly empty. Ardyn slumped forward, but Gilgamesh was already lunging for him and caught him in his arms. Their feet sent some shards of pottery skittering across the floor, but Gilgamesh managed to keep them both upright. Though Ardyn was ‘smaller’ than Gilgamesh he was by no means a small man, and now, eyes fluttering in unconsciousness, he was a sack of ungainly bones, dead weight that was quickly threatening to offset Gilgamesh’s balance.

“Hey, Ardyn, talk to me.” Gilgamesh tried to jostle Ardyn back to consciousness, but he was out like a light. He managed to use his cheek to nudge some of the sweat drenched hair off of Ardyn’s cheek and realized just how red his face was. Sticky skin pressed together like this Gilgamesh could instantly feel how hot he was—too hot. Just how long had he been wallowing in the steam bath?

Gilgamesh grunted as he got to his feet, hauling Ardyn up with him. He managed to pull Ardyn’s arm over his shoulder and gently slapped Ardyn’s cheek with his free hand, putting more force behind it when Ardyn refused to be roused. “C’mon, Ardyn, time to wake up.” Gilgamesh was sure they’d laugh about this in a few days, but in the clinging heat and with Ardyn so heavy and so inert hanging off his side, worry threatened to eat him alive.

Quickly, or as quickly as he could while supporting an extra two hundred pounds, Gilgamesh shuffled out of the laconicum and back into the (seemingly) more manageable heat of the caldarium. He didn’t even look back when Ardyn’s towel came loose and hit the floor with a wet slap. Gilgamesh half-dragged Ardyn past the steaming pools, the rest of the baths silent as if all the lingering bathers had wandered back home in the interim. Though it felt like the hall was suddenly miles long instead of a few hundred feet, soon enough Gilgamesh was gently lowering Ardyn down by the labrum and he submerged a bucket into the cold water, filling it to the brim.

He’d bring Ardyn out to the comfortably heated tepidarium next, but first, he needed Ardyn to wake up. Gilgamesh gave a silent prayer to the Six before emptying the bucket in one go over Ardyn’s head, dousing him in the icy water. The effect was immediate. Ardyn sputtered back to consciousness, shocked awake by the cold plunge, eyes wide as saucers and fighting to fill his lungs with air.

The bucket went rolling across the damp tile when Gilgamesh discarded it in favor of kneeling by Ardyn’s side. He braced Ardyn’s shoulders, keeping him upright and held him steady as Ardyn regained his faculties. Gilgamesh’s concern melted away as Ardyn took a few sputtering breaths and made a few hacking coughs. Though rattled by the experience, Ardyn was clearly going to be fine, his skin already taking on a more normal rosy hue.

“There, there, you’re fine.” Gilgamesh patted Ardyn’s back a few times, helping him ease out the last of his coughs.

“Fine?!”Ardyn spat. “I could have died!”

Gilgamesh couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You had too much to drink and the heat got the better of you. You’re fine now.”

“You don’t know that— _I’m_ the doctor between us.” Ardyn choked out another mucusy cough, and realizing his nakedness, dropped his hands over his groin. “If anyone has any right to speak on subject, it’s me.”

Gilgamesh shot him an incredulous look. “Don’t be so dramatic.” He slapped Ardyn on the back again, though not cruelly. “Did you hear any of my apology?”

Ardyn scooted a few inches away, craning his neck around Gilgamesh’s large form in search of his towel. “Apology?”

It would have been a lie to say Gilgamesh hadn’t been anticipating a response like that. Though whether Ardyn was just acting dumb or genuinely hadn’t heard it, he couldn’t say. Gilgamesh moved closer in his crouch-waddle, a hand braced on Ardyn’s shoulder for balance. “I’m sorry for refusing your invitation this morning.”

“You do that all the time, Gilgamesh.”

“Yes but,” Gilgamesh fought to make Ardyn return his gaze. “I wasn’t there when you needed me. I didn’t consider the deeper implications of today’s excursion, and for that I apologize.”

Face flushed and clearly not wanting to have this conversation, Ardyn looked down.

Gilgamesh shook him lightly. “Do I have to beg for forgiveness? I’m already practically on my knees.”

“No—just leave me be.”

“C’mon, Ardyn, don’t be like that.” Gilgamesh swung a thick thigh over Ardyn’s legs and lowered himself squarely in Ardyn’s lap, his weight the perfect thing to keep Ardyn put. “I’m begging you, please forgive me.” Though his words were sincere, he was sure it was impossible to keep rakish glitter out of his eyes.

Ardyn pushed back against Gilgamesh’s hairy chest, but the behemoth didn’t budge. “You’re crushing me—off, get off.” Even Ardyn couldn’t fight the smile threatening the corner of his lips.

“Not until you accept my apology.” Gilgamesh ducked in and stole a peck of a kiss, then two more. “Even if I have to seduce you.”

“Gilgamesh—we’re not alone,” Ardyn protested, pushing back with a bit more force.

But now Gilgamesh was grinning from ear to ear and had Ardyn’s face bracketed in his large hands. “They’ve all gone, don’t think about them.” Deftly, Gilgamesh planted a kiss on Ardyn’s damp forehead, then peppered a number more on the tip of his nose and cheeks. “I’m begging you, please. Forgive your thoughtless oaf of a lover. Let me make it up to you.”

With all the jostling and sliding against one another, it came as little surprise when Gilgamesh’s dick began to harden. Both men’s faces were flushed from a combination of it all, and in his playful desperation Gilgamesh drew Ardyn into a deep, open-mouthed kiss. Ardyn resisted for a futile beat, playfully pounding his fists against Gilgamesh’s chest as if he were attempting to fend off a barbarian pillager, but before long was surrendering himself fully to the kiss.

“I still haven’t forgiven you,” Ardyn said with a smirk when they parted, but not before nipping at Gilgamesh’s lower lip.

One of Gilgamesh’s hands dropped between them, finding Ardyn’s dick half-hard with interest. “Oh, I think you will.” He pressed their lengths together in one hand and slowly began to pump his fist, coaxing both to full hardness.

Thighs stuck together and doing his utmost not to crush Ardyn under his weight, Gilgamesh worked his fist up and down in long, even strokes, twisting his wrist at their tips to wrench breathy gasps from both their mouths.

One perspiration dotted hand anchored on Gilgamesh’s hip, the other on the back of Gilgamesh’s neck, fingers twisting in the damp strands of hair, Ardyn pulled Gilgamesh down into another heated kiss, their tongues sliding over one another, the taste of dry, red wine passing from Ardyn’s mouth to Gilgamesh’s.

Before long Gilgamesh was rutting into his hand and against Ardyn’s cock, and Ardyn was doing his best to keep up, but the three hundred odd pounds on top of him wasn’t helping. Foreheads pressed together, both panting and steadily coming undone, Gilgamesh knew he had Ardyn on the ropes. Ardyn flicked a thumb over one of Gilgamesh’s nipples, sending a thrill down his spine, as if to imply he was still not over the debacle… but he sought out Gilgamesh’s mouth shortly after, his soft lips an assurance that forgiveness was not completely out of the question.

Both were close, a clear result of the interruption Somnus’ politicking had had on their sex life, but before Gilgamesh could bring them both over the edge Ardyn shooed his hand away.

“I’d hate for you to think you’ve gotten off the hook so easily,” Ardyn murmured as he loosely wrapped his fingers around Gilgamesh’s cock. “Beg for it.”

Really, Ardyn was in no position to ask such a thing of Gilgamesh, what with Gilgamesh squarely straddling his legs, but feeling repentant he nodded.

Apologies and appeals tumbled from Gilgamesh’s mouth, Ardyn rewarding him with a touch more pressure or lingering on a particularly sensitive area when he was pleased. Before long Gilgamesh had no idea what he was begging for—forgiveness or release—his balls unbearably tight to his body and cock pulsating in Ardyn’s feather light grip.  

Gilgamesh knew Ardyn might begrudge him slightly for it, but there was no helping it. He gripped Ardyn’s cock between them and pumped his fist up and down, any notion of teasing cast out the window. Ardyn shuddered, realizing his game was up, and mercifully returned the gesture, fingers tightening around Gilgamesh’s cock.

Curled in on each other, both breathing hard, they came into one another’s hand in quick succession. Ardyn’s shoulders shaking from the exertion, Gilgamesh took over and brought both cocks into his hand once more, milking every last drop of release from them.

“Am I forgiven?” Gilgamesh’s breath was hot on Ardyn’s ear, voice dreamy and light.

“Only if you get off me,” Ardyn grunted, though not without a hint of levity. “Can’t feel my legs.”

Gilgamesh remembered his weight, having momentarily forgotten it during their coupling, and quickly pulled himself off and to the side, letting go of their cocks. Sighing contentedly, he lowered himself to the heated tile, chest heaving still as he tried to recover his breath.

Ardyn didn’t look at him, not at first, then let out a short sigh through his nose. “Did you really come storming in here without a towel? For Gods’ sake, Gilgamesh, didn’t I teach you better?”

Gilgamesh shrugged. “I was in a hurry.”

“Well the thought’s appreciated, but really,” Ardyn tried to push himself up and get to his feet, but winced and gave it up, “it reflects badly on me as your host.”

“Come now,” Gilgamesh said jovially, slapping Ardyn’s thigh lightly. “I think any whose propriety I offended would understand, given that I saved your life, and all.”

“So _now_ you believe me?” Ardyn gave Gilgamesh a half-hearted kick, the blow nowhere close to connecting.

Laughing, Gilgamesh eased himself up and on his feet, twisting and stretching his back for good measure, giving Ardyn quite the show. “If I have your forgiveness, then yes, I’ll buy that you almost died.”

“So you get to play hero.” Ardyn waved off Gilgamesh’s hand to help him up, then relented, realizing his legs were useless at the present.

Grinning cheekily, Gilgamesh pulled Ardyn to his feet and into his chest. “I think it suits me.”

“Well,” Ardyn paused, making Gilgamesh sweat it out a moment longer before continuing. “I suppose I’d have to agree with you there.”

As much as Gilgamesh wanted to get Ardyn back to the estate and into his bed to further prove just how sorry he was about the whole business, after retrieving his towel Ardyn firmly tugged Gilgamesh in the direction of the baths. They _were_ filthy, yes, but Gilgamesh knew deep down that Ardyn was also relishing in the opportunity to exact just a bit of relaxing revenge on him. After everything, though, it was a punishment Gilgamesh was more than happy to endure.


End file.
